By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD — As Veterans Day approaches, the streets of Safford are once again transformed into a vivid tapestry of red, white, and blue. The Safford Lions Club’s annual Field of Honor display has taken over the Safford City Hall lawn and the Graham County Courthouse grounds, creating a quiet space for gratitude and remembrance across the Gila Valley.
Now in its eighth year, the display features over 700 American flags standing in neat rows—each one representing a story of service, sacrifice, and community support. The event started in 2019 with Chris Gibbs of the Lions Club and then Safford City Manager Horacio Skeete, in honor of our veterans for Veterans Day, which became a national holiday in 1938 and originally commemorated the end of hostilities for World War 1 on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918.
The effort relies on strong community involvement, allowing residents to dedicate a flag to honor their loved ones.
“What it is is this: this is our opportunity during Veterans Week to celebrate the veterans, our loved ones,” explained veteran Chris Gibbs. “Seven years ago, we started the process of putting out flags. People purchase the right to have a flag. They buy the flag for $35. Every year after that, we keep them, we roll them up, we cover them, and then we put them back out for $10. Right now, we have a little over 700 flags, which is a huge amount… and we’re very pleased with it. How much the community appreciates that. We’re a very patriotic community, and I love that. My wife and I are both retired military officers, and so it’s really important to me.”
The array of flags honors service members from virtually every era of American history, as well as contributions from local historical organizations.
“You don’t have to be just in the Gila Valley,” noted veteran Ed Lopez, who has been helping set up the display for about six years. “You can be a veteran family member from wherever… We have the Daughters of the American Revolution; we have their flags out.”
“We have some cavalry, we have some Spanish-American War,” Gibbs added. “We have obviously First World War, Second World War, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Croatia… different actions. The idea is Veterans Day is to celebrate veterans—people who raise their hand and say that they’ll give it if they have to, and so we’re proud to be part of that.”
The Field of Honor will remain on display through Veterans Day week, offering visitors the opportunity to walk through the grounds, view the dedications, and honor those who served. The annual Veterans Day celebration in Downtown Safford includes the local parade and ceremony at the Graham County Courthouse. The parade will start at 3rd Avenue and Main Street at 10 a.m. and head west, followed by a Veterans Day Ceremony on the steps of the courthouse at 11 a.m.
For more information on dedicated flags or getting involved with future displays, contact the Safford Lions Club at (928) 792-8144.
